Nozzle for sole cementing machines



Dec. 7, 1943.' w. w. PRUE I 2,335,421

NOZZLE FOR SOLE CEMENTING MACHINES Original Filed May 2, 1940 Patented Dec. 7, 1943 NOZZLE FOR SOLE CEMENTIN G MACHINES Walter W. Prue,, Auburn, Maine, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Original application May 2, 1940, Serial No. 332,383. Divided and this application October 10, 1940, Serial No. 360,633

Claims.

This invention relates to machines for applying a band of coating material to an irregular surface and is herein illustrated as embodied in an articulated nozzle particularly adapted for operations on soles. The present application is a division of an application Serial No. 332,983, filed May 2, 1940, in my name and relating to the ma chine in which this nozzle is embodied. This parent application has matured as Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,262,047, granted November 11, 1941.

As is pointed out in the parent application above referred to, it is frequently desirable to bend the margin of an outsole upwardly, that is, toward the flesh side of the sole so that when the outsole is cement-attached to a shoe, its edges will not tend to pull away from the shoe bottom and thus spoil the appearance of the shoe. This edge-rolling operation may advantageously be performed by a machine which simultaneously rolls the edge and applies a band or ribbon of coating material to the attaching face of the sole, and in order that the band of coating material may be applied smoothly and evenly, the curvature of the sole eliected by the edge-rolling operation must be taken into account in determining the characteristics of the applying means. Accordingly, it is an object of the present inventicn to provide an improved extruding nozzle by which a band of coating material of uniform width may be evenly and neatly applied to the margin of a sol the edge of which has been transversely curved,

The invention, therefore, contemplates an improved extruding nozzle of the articulated type in which a plurality of hinged delivery fingers apply the coating material. These fingers are provided with passageways and have rounded inner ball-like ends coacting with cylindrical recesses in a supporting block in which the balls rest. These recesses have a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the balls so that the latter may make substantially a line contact with the edges thereof. The nozzle fingers are preferably of graduated lengths and are substantially parallel to one another with the end of each finger disposed at an angle to the main portion of the finger.

The invention will be better understood when considered with relation to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of a machine to which my improved nozzle has been applied;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the nozzle;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of one of the nozzle fingers, portions being broken away to show its construction;

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the relation of the feed wheel and the edge gage; and

Fig. 5 is a View of the under side of the nozzle.

The invention may advantageously be applied to a machine of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States 2,042,479, granted June 2, 1936, upon the application of Carl A. Newhall. As disclosed in that patent, the machine 00m prises a frame I carrying two casings l2 and M which provide bearings for shafts on which an upper feed wheel or roll it and a lower feed roll It are mounted. A lever 20 pivoted in a hanger 22 carried by the upper casing l2 provides a means for raising the lower roll I B so that a work piece may be gripped between the two feed rolls. A forward edge gage 24 and a rear edge gage 25 are provided to guide the sole past the extruding nozzle 28. As is more fully set forth in the parent application above referred to, the edge gages and the upper feed wheel l6 are angularly related so that a cross feed is produced which causes the sole to be automatically moved past and in en gagement with the nozzle without assistance from the operator regardless of the edge curvature of the sole.

As the sole passes from between the lower feed roll I8 and the upper feed wheel I 6 and while the sole edge is being further rolled up by the gage 24, a coating of cement or of activating fluid is applied to the concavely curved margin of the sole. To this end, a bracket 30 is pivotally secured by screws 32 to the casing I2 of the upper shaft. A nozzle carrier 34 is secured to the bracket 30 by a screw 36, the nozzle carrier and bracket being urged downwardly by a spring 33, the ends of which are connected to the casing l2 and the nozzle carrier 34 respectively. Downward movement of the nozzle carrier is limited by contact with casing l2 of an adjustable screw threaded in the nozzle carrier 34, and locked in adjusted position by a nut 42.

The nozzle proper comprises a block 44 provided with a tongue 46 (Fig. 5) fitting into a groove 48 (Fig. 1) in the nozzle carrier, the nozzle being secured to the nozzle carrier by a bolt passing through a slot 50 in the block 4 5 and threaded into the nozzle carrier. The applying members comprise a series of fingers 52, each of which is bored to provide a passageway 54 for the coating material. The inner end of each finger is rounded into a ball 56 which is substantially spherical and rests in one of a series of cylindrical recesses 53 in an offset portion 60 of the block 54. It is to be noted that, inasmuch as the recesses 58 intersect the flat surface of the offset portion 60 at right angles, the openings formed by the cylindrical recesses 58 are circular, and thus the balls form substantially line contacts with the block, regardless of the position of the fingers. It has been found that, with such an arrangement, the tendency of the balls to seat themselves in the recesses firmly seals the joint against leakage while permitting the fingers to be moved freely in any direction as they encounter irregularities in the work passing beneath them. 1

Each finger is also provided with a pin 62 over which is hooked one end of a spring 64, the other end of the spring being hooked to a pin 66 affixed to the offset portion 553 of the block. These springs serve the dual purpose of holding the balls 56 tightly in the recesses 58 and of urging the fingers 52 down against the work without interfering with their ability to pivot and thus conform to the curvature of the Work. Downward movement of the fingers is limited by a U- shaped hanger or stirrup 63 forming a stop secured to the block by screws it, each of the fingers being provided with a lug 72 which normally rests upon the cross bar M of the hanger. A wedge '16 may be also secured to the inner side of the crossbar in order to position the work-engaging portions of the several fingers in the same horizontal plane.

It is to be noted that the fingers are substantially parallel to one another as viewed in a direction approximately normal to the face of the work and are of varying lengths, th inner finger is adjacent to the feed wheel being the longest, and the outer finger So being th shortest. The oblique extensions 82 (Fig. of the fingers are grooved and are disposed at a slight angle to the main portions of the fingers when viewed in a direction approximately normal to the face of a work piece passing thereunder. These extensions are also substantially parallel to one another and are so directed relative to the gages that as the cement is carried away from the ends of the fingers by the sole passing beneath them it will be dragged in a direction approximately parallel with the end extensions 82 of the fingers ctually engaging the work rather than being scraped off the work by the sides of these outlet grooves. By this formation of the fingers, and without interfering with their up and down movements, the outlet openings are brought into such a relation to the edge gages that a plurality of stripes merging to form an even band of coating material of uniform width will be applied to the margin of a sole regardless of its surface contour and its edge curvature. The requirements for such a relation are described in the Newhall Iatent No. 2,042,479 above mentioned and will be found on 7, lines 25 to 51 of that specification.

In order to supply cement to the fingers, the block M is recessed at 84 to provide a supply duct or passageway connected to the cylindrical recesses A clean-out plate 86 makes this passageway accessible for removing accumulations of hardened cement. Coating material i supplied to the passageway 3 5 by means of a pipe 28 and a hose 9%} connected to a pump and reservoir such as that illustrated in the Newhall pat-- ent above referred to. A valve 92, preferably opened and closed by operation of a treadle which raises and lowers the lower feed roll it and the shaft, shuts off the supply of cement when the machine is not in operation.

In the operation of the machine, a sole is placed between the upper and lower feed rolls !8 and [3. The lower feed roll is then raised causing the sole to be gripped between these rotatin feed members. The strong cross feed effected by the feed wheel and the edge gages forces the sole against these latter members so that the sole is automatically fed through the machine. As the final step in the edge rolling is being completed in the manner set forth in the parent application, the margin of the sole passes beneath the ends of the fingers of the nozzle. These fingers, which readily yield upwardly to conform themselves to the concave surface of the margin of the flesh side of the sole, apply an even band of coating material to the margin of the sol so that the sole is then ready to be attached to the shoe in the usual manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a coating apparatus, a nozzle comprising a supporting block, a plurality of fingers provided with passageways terminating in outlets arranged side by side to apply merging stripes of coating material forming a uniform band upon the work, the inner end of each of said fingers being rounded, cylindrical recesses in said block in which said rounded ends rest making substantially a line contact with said block, said recesses having a, diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of said rounded ends, and means holding said rounded ends tightly seated in said recesses and at the same time permitting said fingers to pivot relatively to said block.

2. In a coating apparatus, a nozzle comprising a supporting block, a plurality of fingers provided with passageways terminating in outlets arranged side by side to apply merging stripes of coating material forming a uniform band upon the work and having rounded inner ends, cylindrical recesses in said block in which said inner ends rest making substantially a line contact with said block, said recesses having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of said inner ends, and springs for holding said inner ends tightly seated in said recesses and at the same time allowing said fingers to pivot relatively to said block.

3. In a coating apparatus, a nozzle comprising a supporting block, a plurality of fingers provided with passageways terminating in outlets arranged side by side to apply merging stripes of coating material forming a uniform band upon the work, the inner end of each of said fingers being rounded, recesses in said block for each of said inner ends, a stop secured to said supporting block and extending beneath said fingers to limit their downward movement, and springs tensioned between said block and points on the under sides of said fingers holding said ends tightly seated in said recesses and yieldably urging said fingers downwardly against said step.

4. A nozzle for a coating apparatus of the type having a feed wheel and a pair of gages arranged to produce a cross feed, said nozzle comprising a supporting block, and a plurality of downwardly slanting fingers provided with passageways terminating in outlets arranged side by side to apply merging stripes of coating material forming a uniform band upon the work, the upper portion-S of said fingers being substantially parallel as viewed in a direction approximately normal to the face of a work piece passing thereunder and having end extensions parallel to one another and disposed at similar oblique angles to the upper portions of said fingers as viewed in a similar direction.

5. In a coating apparatus, a nozzle comprising a supporting block, a series of depending hollow fingers hinged thereto and conducting coating material to a work piece passing thereunder, said fingers being progressively of greater length and 10 terminating in outlets arranged side by side to apply merging stripes of coating material forming a uniform band upon the work, means to urge said fingers toward the work, and a stop'having a finger supporting surface extending transversely of the lengths of said fingers and inclined heightwise for limiting the downward movement of said fingers and bringing the outlet ends of said fingers into a common horizontal plane.

WALTER W. PRUE. 

